Armor
Armor Table Penalty Key: (I) - Initiative, ® - Ranged Attack, (P) - Perception, (AR) - Agility Reflex, (SP) - Spell Casting Armor Characteristics Armor is critical if one wishes to stay alive in combat. Armor, like weapons, has stats and game effects. It is also important to remember that many of the types of armor listed are archaic and are no longer used or even illegal to wear in public. Always confirm with your game keeper before purchasing armor to ensure that type of armor is available. *''Deflection Bonus'': Armor has a slight chance of deflecting some attacks harmlessly. This is indicated with a bonus that is added to the character's DR. *''Called Shot'': This is the bonus to DR that the armor grants against called shots to the parts of the body protected by that armor. *''Staging'': Some armor is heavy enough that it will stage attacks down so the wounds are less severe. This amount is added to the character's Fortitude score for staging purposes. Higher staging values result in lighter, less lethal damage. *''Absorb'': The amount of damage absorbed by the armor from any given attack that hits the character's protected area. *''Ballistic Protection (BP): This indicates the number of points of ballistic protection the armor grants. This is also sometimes referred to as damage transfer, as the damage is transferred from Wound damage to Bludgeon damage. Refer to the section on ballistic protection for more information. *''Bypass: This indicates the difficulty of targeting a called shot to an unprotected part of the character's body, in effect bypassing the effects of all armor except deflection. Thus, a bypass value of -40 indicates the attacker suffers an AV penalty of -40 AV when attempting to bypass the affects of staging and absorbsion. Bypass penalties are usually cumulative, such as when the attacker is trying to bypass all of the target's worn armor. *''Blocking'': Some pieces of armor such as bracers or shields grant the character a bonus to attempts at blocking. If the attack is successfully blocked, there is a percentage chance equal to the character's block bonuses that the attack struck the protected body part, in which case damage is rolled, but the armor for that body part is taken into consideration. *''Agility Reflex Penalties'': Most armor hinders a character's movement significantly. This number indicates the AV penalties to any skill that is modified by Agility or Reflex, including all uses of the Hide or Move Silently skills. *''Initiative / Movement'': This indicates the initiative penalty suffered by wearing the armor. This is cumulative with other penalties. Additionally, the character's major movement rate is reduced by the same amount. If the Major Movement rate is reduced to less than the Free movement rate, the character's Free movement rate is set equal to the major movement rate. *''Ranged'': This indicates the penalties the character suffers due to immobile limbs, hands, and extra weight which may affect the character’s weapon balance when using bows and firearms. These penalties are cumulative. *''Perception'': This indicates the penalties to aiming ranged weapons that the character experiences while wearing the armor. These penalties are cumulative. *''Spellcasting'': This indicates the penalties penalties the character suffers from immobile limbs, energy disruption, and general discomfort when casting spells in armor. These penalties are cumulative. Psychics are affected only by head protections, but the penalty is doubled. Manipulators suffer double the value of any spell casting penalties. Armor Coverage Armor covers different parts of the body, so it is important to understand what parts of piecemeal armor protect what. *''Torso'': This refers to the main torso of the body and the shoulders. It often includes some kind of groin protection also. *''Forearms'': Only the part of the arm between the wrists and the elbows are protected. *''Arms'': The entire arms from the wrist to the shoulder are protected. *''Hands'': This is protection for the hands and wrists only. *''Legs'': Protection from the ankles up to the waist. *''Head'': Most head protections protect the crown of the skull and back of the head. Some may protect the neck and throat. Many protect the bridge of nose and some possess visors that protect the whole face. *''Blocking Only': Typically this refers to shields. The item only provides protection to the front of the character and his flanks. Attacks from the rear bypass the defense bonus of these protections.'' *''Full Body'': Full body protections include protection for the torso, arms, and legs. They do not include protection for the head, feet, or hands. Armor and Agility The benefits of armor to DR and the DR benefits of a high agility do stack, but only to a certain extent. The more armor that a character wears the lower the maximum bonus granted by agility. If a character wears any armor items that cause any AGL/REF penalty, the character's maximum agility bonus is 30 minus the character's total AGL/REF penalty for all armor items being worn. :Soren has an agility of 17, which typically grants a +14 bonus to defense rating. If Soren were to don a suit full chain mail armor, which causes a -20 AGL/REF penalty, he will only gain a maximum of +10 DR from his agility bonus instead of his normal +14. Armor Descriptions Chain Mail: A body protection consisting of one or two layers of interlinked chain mesh worn over heavy cloth to prevent uncomfortable chafing. Since the weight of the armor rests almost entirely upon the shoulders, it is uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time. A full suit chain mail cosists of a chain shirt, chain greaves, and chain vambraces. Chain Gloves: Hand protections made from a fine interwoven chain mesh set on a quality linen, silk, or leather backing. While they are fairly supple, they still cause difficulty when attempting any skill requiring fine motor control of the hands and fingers, imposing a -30 AV penalty to those types of actions. *Vulnerable: Bludgeon: This armor is vulnerable to bludgeon attacks and does not provide any absorbsion or staging benefits at all. Gauntlets: Heavy protections for the hands and forearm, often made from bronze or steel. Gauntlets impose sever penalties to any action requiring fine motor control of the hands suffers a -40 AV penalty. Leather Gloves: Leather gloves provide some protection against cold and damage, but impose a -5 AV penalty to any skill requiring fine motor control of the hands. *Vulnerable: Bludgeon: This armor is vulnerable to bludgeon attacks and does not provide any absorbsion or staging benefits at all. Microchain Gloves: Microchain gloves impose a -5 AV penalty to all actions requiring fine motor control of the hands and fingers. *Block bonus: Due to the weapon's design, this weapon grants the wielder a +10 AV bonus to all block attempts. *Tempered: This item is already Tempered per the spell of the same name. It can not benefit from additional castings of the spell. *Vulnerable: Bludgeon: This armor is vulnerable to bludgeon attacks and does not provide any absorbsion or staging benefits at all. Battle Helm: A full helmet covering the face, crown, throat, and neck. Chain Coif: A head and neck protection made from interwover links of chain. *Vulnerable: Bludgeon: This armor is vulnerable to bludgeon attacks and does not provide any absorbsion or staging benefits at all. Light Helm: A helmet that typically covers only the crown, back of neck, and the bridge of the nose.